Wilkes-Barre, PA — Dublin Dasher continued his winning ways with a 1:52.2 victory over sloppy going in Saturday’s (May 31) $17,000 feature for developing male pacers at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Favorite Dublin Dasher sat in the pocket behind second choice Boston Rocks as that one put up splits of :27.4, :56.1 and 1:24.1 with first-over Beach Bum Harley up to get into the fray heading to the final turn. In the stretch, those two were joined by Dublin Dasher, who had the most late kick up the Pocono Pike to win by two lengths. Beach Bum Harley narrowly took second over Boston Rocks.
Hunter Oakes trains Dublin Dasher, a winner of three of six races this year and 10 of 25 lifetime, for Alan Johnston and H O Racing Inc. The 4-year-old Always B Miki gelding was driven by Tyler Buter, Pocono’s leading driver and a winner of 51 races at the mountain oval during the month.
Trotters were featured in two $16,000 events for horses a level below the feature performers. The Fix Is In, an International Moni gelding who was two-for-three this year including a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win, was still dismissed at 39-1. But trainer-driver Charlie Norris rallied him from seventh to win by a head over Lefties Righties in 1:54.3 for owners Carrie Norris and Max J. Hempt.
In the other spotlight trot, Justin Wiest trainee and Hey Therbartender, in line to Braxten Boyd, caught favored Attis Rock, trained by Justin’s 94-year-old grandfather Don, in 1:57.4 over the off going. The victorious altered son of Bar Hopping is owned by Paul and Debra Britcher.
Braxten Boyd punched and George Napolitano Jr. counterpunched en route to both drivers winning four times in the first 11 races. Then came the 12th and last race, a $16,500 fast-class pace. Favored Maxim Hanover took the two-hole behind Combustion (Napolitano), who refused to cede the lead to the challenging Hazeville (Boyd). Combustion maintained the lead into the stretch but looked ripe for the plucking by Maxim Hanover; instead, Combustion, a $539,110-winning son of Captaintreacherous trained by Doug Dilloian Jr. for David Linker, Brian Loman and Robert Venable, maintained a nose advantage in a 1:50.3 mile to give the day’s honors to Napolitano.
The Saturday card started an excellent week of Pocono racing in which seven of the top 10 money-winning trainers in North America are participants, including the top five — Ron Burke, Per Engblom, Jeff Cullipher, Cory Stratton and Travis Alexander — as well as Scott DiDomenico and Joe Bongiorno. There will be a Sunday (June 1) card at 6 p.m., and then racing on Monday and Tuesday (June 2-3) beginning at 1 p.m. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.